"True North"

I read an essay this week about our universal quest (here in the West) for balance, between work and family and our sense of self.  The writer talked about the importance of commitment (read: faithfulness) to our own equivalent of "true north," that central focus or foci that help us locate direction and intention and the right route, no matter where we find ourselves.

Of course this got me thinking about my own "true north."  What part of my life do I focus on the most so that every other focus falls into its proper place?  How am I using my own "true north" to make important decisions, to prioritize what needs doing and when, to structure my days and weeks and dreams?

I suppose the quickest way to answer would be to say, as this particular writer did, that my true north is God and my family, but I have to say that when I think about it my own true north is somewhat more personal.  If I could sum it up in a word it would be this one: Integrity.

I have found that when I focus on making decisions with a sense of faithfulness to my own integrity, that is faithfulness to an inner sense of what I know to be right for me, I find the balance and peace and calm for which I daily yearn. 

I've learned most of this through trial and error, unfortunately.  I don't get life right most of the time but lucky for me (and all of us) life is faithful with its lessons; what I fail to absorb in one form certainly comes to meet me again, and again, and again.  And I have faith that I'll get it, eventually.